Recently, a collaborative effort between the Microbial Intelligent Design and Synthesis Innovation Team at the Institute of Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and the Institute of Plant Protection has led to the discovery that the cell wall-degrading enzymes of Verticillium dahliae can serve as both cross-domain RNA interference target genes and as effector proteins regulating cotton resistance to Verticillium wilt. The research findings have been published in the "Plant Biotechnology Journal".
Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, is referred to as the "cancer" of cotton. Due to the lack of natural disease-resistant germplasm resources, controlling this disease is extremely challenging. Moreover, there exists a strong co-evolutionary relationship between the pathogen and the host plant, characterized by a perpetual molecular arms race of "attack-defense-counterdefense". Therefore, elucidating the molecular mechanisms of Verticillium dahliae-host interactions is crucial for identifying effective disease-resistant breeding targets and cultivating highly resistant cotton germplasm.
The study found that the cell wall-degrading enzymes of Verticillium dahliae play important roles in the pathogen's carbon source utilization, cell wall penetration ability, and pathogenicity. Using cross-domain RNA interference technology, researchers have successfully developed new cotton germplasm highly resistant to Verticillium wilt.
Further research revealed that this protein, as an effector, can be recognized by cotton cysteine proteases, triggering a systemic immune response in plants, thereby resisting infection by Verticillium dahliae. This study provides new genetic resources and a theoretical basis for the comprehensive control of Verticillium wilt and cotton biotechnology breeding.
This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Science and Technology Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.
Related paper information: https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.14330
